Here’s what Falcons quarter Desmond Ridder had to say after the 24-10 win over the Panthers on Sunday:
On how things went against Carolina: “Obviously, we’ve got to start faster. A lot of things that ultimately, when we look back at the film—a lot of things that we can clean up and be better at for next week. Props to our defense for coming up with huge stops, huge turnovers, being up against short fields. For us as the offense, when that does happen, we have to be able to go out there and create points and get points on the board. We didn’t start as fast as we’d like to, but that’s something that we’ll continue to work on.”
On going away from the pass and leaning more towards the run game for the better half of the game: “I told you guys from the very beginning, for me as a quarterback, I could care less if we go out there and pass the ball 300 times or two times. As long as we get a W at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. For us today, our run game was obviously working. Those guys did a heck of a job creating and moving the line of scrimmage. Bijan [Robinson] and Tyler [Allgeier] did a great job running behind them and running hard. For us, the run game is also going to open up our passing game. We’re just going to keep hitting everything and going back to work.”
On the early struggles to protect against Panthers OLB Brian Burns in the first half and the offensive line being able to better neutralize him in the second half: “There was talk about whether he was going to play, was he not going to play. For us, it didn’t really matter. We wanted to go out there and have the O-line make them feel their presence. Obviously, they’re a great front four, front five on the defensive line. So, we knew that it was a challenge for us as an offense to be able to go out there, control the line of scrimmage. They did a great job.”
On the evolution of the game and dealing with spacing and protection issues in the first half: “We just had to slow down and just play our game. I’ll take a lot of that, especially right there towards halftime. I’ll take a lot of that on me. A lot of it was me out there trying to do too much, not staying within our reads. That’s where I feel I got not only myself but our offensive in a lot of trouble. For me, I know going into next week obviously just stay within everything and go about your reads. As an offense, going out there in the second half, it was just about starting fast like we didn’t do in the first [half] and keeping the ball moving forward. Getting the first, first down and getting some momentum going.”
On whether he felt like he wasn’t reacting quick enough or struggling to find his rhythm: “Like I said, it was tough just to get in a rhythm. We could never get that first down and get going. Any offense—obviously the thing that kept us in was our defense, and that’s how a team should play. Jessie [Bates III] came up and had huge turnovers. For us it’s about not being able to always rely on our defense. Being able to get in a rhythm when a rhythm doesn’t have to be there. That’s something we’ve got to work on and keep going and keep getting better at.”
On whether it was tough to hear some boos in the season opener: “I didn’t really hear no boos. We were out there playing. I get locked in on the play call and everything else. That outside noise isn’t really in my head.”
On his ability to process what’s going on while even during tough moments in the game: “That’s kind of who I am, not trying to be too high or too low. Just knowing that we’re playing way beneath where we should be and just knowing where we can be. That’s always what keeps you levelheaded—knowing where you can go, knowing where you can be. It’s really about just staying calm and just making sure that the guys know where we’re going to go, where we’re going to be—not necessarily talking about down the line, but in that game.
On the confidence it gives him knowing he has a defense that is capable of causing three turnovers and keeping them in the game even when the offense is struggling: “That’s true for any offense, having a great defense. For us, it’s about going out there and as an offense being able to not have to rely on your defense, being able to go out there and score points on every single drive and not relying on your defense. So, when the time comes—it’s a long season. There’s going to be one game where the defense doesn’t play great, and the offense has to step up and do their part. So, there’s a fine line of just it’s all about being a team.”
On the play of RBs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier: “Bijan and Tyler both played their butts off. Like I said, it all starts with the five men up front. They did a heck of a job of dominating the line of scrimmage, moving the line of scrimmage, and creating gaps for Bijan and Tyler to run through. Those guys have great vision, great awareness and great balance. Once you’ve given the ball, it’s fun to watch them go.”
